CIRJ Tribal Public Defender Support Project

Online Trainings

Tribal public defense is the least funded legal service need in the United States. Unlike state and federal justice systems, tribes are not required by federal law to provide public defenders to Native Americans who have been charged with misdemeanor crimes, child abuse or neglect, or juvenile delinquency, status offenses or truancy. While many tribes do provide this important legal aid, these public defense systems are often grossly underfunded and remote, with little mentorship or support for defenders working in tribal courts of the United States. CIRJ provides assistance to tribal defenders by providing online trainings, law student research support, and case consultation with experienced tribal and state public defense experts.

Request for Law Student Research

CIRJ is affiliated with the University of Washington Law School's Native American Law Center and its Tribal Court Public Defense Clinic. If you would like to request a student to prepare a research memorandum for you, please submit your request here.

Online Case Consult

CIRJ is part of a network of very specialized public defense experts. If you would like to engage in a case consultation with our network, please send us your case consult request here.